Motorcycle News, Editorials, Product Reviews and Bike Reviews

Biaggi leads Checa and Melandri in Ring qualifying

Nürburgring (Germany), Friday 2 September 2011 – Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team) pulled out all the stops at the end of first qualifying at the Nürburgring, the Italian setting the quickest time of 1 minute 55.524 seconds to take the overnight pole. The reigning champion was sitting in second position, behind points leader Carlos Checa (Althea Racing Ducati) for most of the session, but played his winning card right at the end to take the provisional pole by 0.149 seconds.

Third quickest time, but just a fraction behind, was another championship challenger, Marco Melandri (Yamaha World Superbike Team), ahead of Michel Fabrizio (Suzuki Alstare), who crashed at the start of the session. Eugene Laverty (Yamaha World Superbike Team) notched up the fifth quickest time from Frenchman Sylvain Guintoli (Effenbert – Liberty Racing), while Jonathan Rea eased back into competitive action after recent injury with seventh place for Castrol Honda.

Impressive privateer Maxime Berger (Supersonic Racing Team) posted a top eight time on his big vee-twin, with top Kawasaki qualifier to date Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team Superbike) ninth and his countryman Leon Haslam (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) rounding out the opening day top ten. Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki Racing Team) powered his way to 11th in his first Superbike visit to Germany, with Guintoli’s team-mate Jakub Smrz (Effenbert Liberty Ducati) 12th. Japanese rider Makoto Tamada (Castrol Honda) stood in for the injured Ruben Xaus and was the final rider classified.

Parkalgar Honda’s Sam Lowes powered to the top of the timesheets after the first World Supersport qualifying session with the time of 1 minute 59.771 seconds. Lowes, the only rider to dip under the two minute mark, was quickest ahead of points leader and fellow Brit Chaz Davies (Yamaha ParkinGO).

Spain’s David Salom (Kawasaki Motocard.com) was up at the front for much of the session, and finished third while his Motocard.com team-mate Broc Parkes was in sixth. The two Kawasaki machines sandwiched the Harms Benjan Racing Honda of Robbin Harms in fourth and the Hannspree Ten Kate version in fifth.

Title contender Fabien Foret (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) could only manage seventh place, while for the Italians it was a day to forget with Massimo Roccoli (Lorenzini by Leoni Kawasaki) down in tenth and Luca Scassa (Yamaha ParkinGO) one place behind. There was an incredible incident for Roberto Tamburini (Bike Service R.T. Yamaha), who was taken out under braking by his team-mate Luca Marconi. The latter was taken to hospital with a broken right collarbone and for further checks.

The all-Ducati battle between Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing Ducati) and Danilo Petrucci (Barni Racing Ducati) continued in today’s first qualifying session, the Althea man taking the top slot with a time of 1 minute 59.998 seconds. The time, which he set right at the end of the session, meant that Giugliano was the only rider to get under the two-minute mark, with just 0.031 seconds separating him from the next man, Silverstone winner Petrucci.

Three BMWs took the next three places, with the two Motorrad Italia STK machines of Sylvain Barrier and Lorenzo Zanetti in third and fourth, followed by the Garnier Alpha Racing version of the talented German youngster Markus Reiterberger. Niccolò Canepa was next up in sixth for the Lazio Motorsport Ducati team, with South African Sheridan Morais the first Kawasaki man in eighth.

French youngsters took the top two positions in today’s qualifying session for the European Superstock 600 race, which will be held on Saturday afternoon. ASPI Yamaha’s Stéphane Egea was quickest with a time of 2 minutes 04.885 seconds around the German circuit, just a couple of tenths ahead of points leader Romain Lanusse (MRS Yamaha Racing France) and Dutchman Michael van der Mark (Ten Kate Junior Team Honda).

Silverstone winner Joshua Day was next up for the Revolution Racedays Kawasaki team, with Aragon top man Jed Metcher (MTM-RT Motorsports Yamaha) in sixth. For the moment the top Italian protagonist is Daniele Beretta (Trasimeno Yamaha), who was quickest in the morning’s free practice session.